Marmion tips Batavia in final minute

It's a sign of how far Marmion has come that T.J. Lally didn't call the Cadets' 14-7 comeback victory over Batavia in front of an overflow crowd Friday the biggest he's been part of.

"One of the top three," the two-way standout said, citing victories over Montini and Huntley last year.

Lally delivered a key 25-yard run on Marmion's game-winning 73-yard touchdown march. Mitch Loehmann capped the drive with a 24-yard score with 1:27 remaining to erase a 7-6 lead Batavia had been clinging to since early in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs made things interesting on their final drive. Quarterback Noel Gaspari found Zach Strittmatter and Joe Sortino for first down passes, then found Strittmatter for 12 yards on fourth down for a first down at Marmion's 19 with 31 seconds left.

But like last year that ended with several last-minute losses, Batavia fell again when Gaspari's third-down pass was deflected and then intercepted in the end zone by Nick Scoliere.